b’vive.

Definitions of Joie de Vivre, Free Radicals and a Made Up Word

I say all the time that food is love. What that really means is that food offers opportunity for expressing and receiving love. The preparation, the eating, the sharing, it all offers opportunity. But saying food is love is catchier.

Every time you cook or prepare a meal, you have an opportunity to share the experience with someone else.

Every time you sit down to eat, you have an opportunity to share that meal with someone else. 

When you make baked goodies, you have an opportunity to share them with someone else. 

Every time you eat you have an opportunity to love and nourish your mind and body. 

What a mindshift that would be, to approach every meal as an opportunity to love, to nourish and connect. Not a chore to speed through or a task to check off the list.

I recently wrote about the Five Love Languages and how those apply to self care and love.

It’s highly debated in my family whether food should be considered its own love language or if it’s a part of other love languages. 
Whether it is in its own category or fits into another, food is most definitely an expression of love.

Debunking the myths.

What if we shifted our thinking about food as a way to channel our love rather than a punishment, a reward or means to an end?

What if food is not an enemy, not a weapon, not an obstacle? 

What if it is what it’s meant to be? Fuel for our mind and body. And a magical potion for our spirit.

The myth is that it has to be one or the other. This is either nutritious fuel that is good for me and flavorless. Or it is magical deliciousness and who cares if it has any nutritional value or if it’s downright bad for me.

Another myth: cookies and candy are love because they are sweet.

Food that is truly love tastes delicious while also being nutritious. Food that is truly love is prepared with love, with the intention to nourish and to please. Food that is truly love is served with love, with the intention to share and connect. 

If it’s good for YOU, then it’s good for your mind, body and spirit. Food can bring you joy WHILE providing vitamins, minerals and nutrients your mind and body need.

One ingredient most diets are missing.

The foundation of good nutrition is a balance of protein, complex carbohydrates (like vegetables and whole grains) and fat. And of course everyone is talking about fiber these days.

Doesn’t that just sound so serious and lame?

Where’s the magic? Where’s the joy? And as the Black Eyed Peas say “Where is the Love?”

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”

Charles M. Schulz

To make and eat food that is truly love it needs to be nutritious and delicious. It needs at least four* ingredients:

1. Protein – Generally, about 30-40% of your calories should come from protein. It takes longer to digest, which makes you feel full longer and provides nutrients for your brain and muscles. If you’re feeling constantly hungry there is a good chance that you need more protein. Some experts will give even bigger ratios of protein. Talk to your doctor or nutritionist to determine the right amount for you based on your age and activity level.

2. Fiber – Often comes from those complex carbohydrates, but it can be found in other types of food, too. Some of my favorite high fiber foods are: avocados, beans, chia seeds, flax seed, hemp seeds, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, quinoa.

3. Antioxidants – Keep your cells healthy and counteract the negative impact of free radicals.

I imagine free radicals are like tiny little gremlins running around trying to damage your house. Throwing pillows, spilling cereal on the floor, just making little messes. Antioxidants are like the responsible older kids in the house, picking up those little messes and keep them from totally destroying your home. But if you don’t have enough antioxidants, it’s like feeding the little monsters after midnight. Free radicals multiply and go wild and can cause chronic disease like cancer and diabetes.

You’ve met antioxidants before. They are nutrients like carotenoids, vitamin c, vitamin e, manganese, phenols and polyphenols.

They’re in foods you love like berries, oranges, grapes (and wine), leafy greens, peppers, strawberries. Fresh herbs. Onion, garlic.

The list is long and the antioxidants vary, which is why eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is so important. 

And there is research to suggest that antioxidant levels are higher in some raw foods. Not to say you should eat all of your food raw, but incorporating raw, fresh fruits and vegetables into each meal helps to ensure you’re getting your antioxidants. It also provides balance to the meal.

You know what doesn’t have antioxidants? Pre-packaged, microwave meals. They also tend to lack flavor. Aka no joy.

You know what brings joy? Fat.

4. Fat – Fat in your food brings joy, it adds texture and decadence, it balances the flavors. Healthy fats are good for your skin, body and brain function. Fat helps you to feel satisfied. Clearly, I’m a big fan of fat in your food. When I was in my calorie counting days I found that I could quickly load up on my favorite fats like avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts and nut butters (which also happen to be good sources of protein and fiber).

And by “healthy fat” I mean monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and essential fatty acids like omega-3s.
*monounsaturated found in avocado, almonds, olive oil, nuts and seeds
*polyunsaturated found in walnuts, sunflower seeds and fish (such as salmon, mackerel, herring, albacore tuna, and trout).
*Omega 3 essential fatty acid, which can help improve memory and cognition, is found in wild salmon, flax seed and chia seed, seaweed and spinach.

Fat is (almost) last because it should be used sparingly and wisely. Eat the healthy fats, not the bad ones. That’s like just throwing a party for the gremlins. 

And that brings us to our *.

* The French call it joie de vivre, a joyful and spirited way of living. Before and during a meal, the Italians say “buon appetito” or “enjoy your meal.” The Japanese add “umami” or “fifth taste.” In English we say “pretty please with a cherry on top.”

All of that is the *. The joy, the goodness, the cherry on top, the extra little something something that makes you do the happy dance when you eat. It can be the fresh herbs on top of your pasta, the sprinkle of sea salt on your potato, that hot honey on your eggs, it’s the blueberries you add because they look pretty, the shaved chocolate, the sparkling water, the squeeze of lemon at the end. Literally, the cherry on top.

You can follow any “diet’s” rules of carbs or no carbs, eat at this time or that time, meat or no meat.

But I promise you, if you leave out the *, it won’t last. It’s not a way to live. Make sure you have * in your food.

To sum it up.

The four ingredients you need to make food that you love, that is nutritious and delicious:

Protein, fiber, antioxidants, fat and *. 

And because I like making up words, you can remember it as p*fafulous.

That will probably catch on like fetch.

Be well, my lovelies. I hope you have a delicious day and that your next meal is p*fafulous.

Buon appetito.

Margaret Faintich is on a mission to help us all live in a world where taking care of our health and wellness is the norm. Where we can eat nutritious and delicious food every day because they are the same and that’s just how we live. 

She shares inspiration and guidance through the lens of mindy, body and spirit.

Margaret is the founder of B’vive Co. and a Nutritious Life Master Certified Nutrition and Wellness Coach. 

She is an active yogi lover and OrangeTheory Fitness enthusiast.